Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty
Agencies Directed to Protect Religious Speech and Conscience Rights
What it does
Federal agencies must respect religious and political speech, avoid adverse tax actions for such speech, and consider regulations protecting conscience objections to the preventive-care mandate.
Real-world impact
- Reduces risk of tax penalties or loss of tax-exempt status for religious speakers and organizations.
- May lead to new or amended rules allowing conscience objections to preventive-care requirements.
- Attorney General to issue guidance clarifying religious liberty protections in federal law.
Topics
Summary
This order tells the federal government to strongly protect religious freedom and free speech in government actions. It directs agencies to respect religious and political speech and prevents tax actions against individuals, houses of worship, or religious groups that speak on moral or political issues when similar speech has not been treated as campaign intervention.
The secretaries of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services are asked to consider changing regulations to allow conscience-based objections to the preventive-care mandate. The Attorney General is asked to issue guidance explaining religious liberty protections in federal law.
Questions, answered
Ask questions about this executive order and its implications. Try:
- “What agencies are affected by this order?”
- “How does this order change existing policy?”
- “What are the practical implications of this order?”